


The First Date

by Henndra



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 15:33:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6200821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Henndra/pseuds/Henndra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Draco finally go on their first date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Date

They’d agreed on muggle. Merlin knows how. He was nervous and doubting himself. “Is this really a good idea?” 

Hermione gave him a transfixing stare.

“Hermione, seriously.” He adjusted his collar, chuckling lightly as she swatted his hand away, smoothing them out ‘properly’.

“Try not to think about how nervous you feel about going, think about the feeling you felt when you asked him and he said yes.” Her gaze is on his neck, she’s focusing like she’s thinking and that makes him feel worse.

“I was still nervous, ‘Mione. Just happy nervous.”   
Hermione laughs a little, then steps back to observe him. “You clean up well Harry. I hope he only knows how lucky he is!”

“Alright spit it out, I feel like you’re chewing on something.”

She smiles brightly for the first time all afternoon, “Would it sound stupid if I said I was nervous too?”

He smirked.

“I feel like there’s just so much history and so much back and forth and I know nothing’s been the same between you since the war!-”

“We were friends in eighth year!” He protests because well, it was true. 

“Yes but then he vanished and you hadn’t seen him and for so long and I just thought- you’re looking at me like that again Harry stop it!” He couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped him. “Harry I’m serious! This feels big Harry.”

He swallowed thickly, his palms trickling with sweat suddenly.

“He’s been apart of your life in some form or another since you were eleven, what if this doesn’t work? What if you force it? Will it just stop, this obsession you have with him?” Her hair was as wild as ever and she’d clearly worked herself into a state, neither things he noticed made him feel any better.

“Way to make a guy relax before a first date.” He undid his first button and then a second, letting his neck breathe a little.

“Sorry Harry.”

He walked over to his private floo like a man with his marching orders. He tried ignoring everything Hermione had said but she was always good at presenting an argument.

“And Harry? Good luck.” She folded her hands in front of her about her skirts and for a single moment before he stepped through the floo she looked nostalgically child-like.

 

He used the Leaky as a junction point before making his way out to muggle London, he was early and had the time to slow it but his feet wouldn’t go any slower if he tried, practically power walking there.

“I was almost convinced you wouldn’t show.”  
Harry spun around to find Malfoy standing there, looking equal parts elegant equal parts pointy. “Didn’t know I had such a terrible track record.” Harry smiled, relaxing a little.

Draco smirks and his fringe falls over his eyes like thin strands of sun bleached straw, “You misunderstand me. I mean I physically had my friends stop me mid stride and try convince me not to show tonight. Tried telling me it was a terrible idea, that I must have gotten the wrong idea.”

“About me? About tonight? Or…” Harry bites lightly at his own bottom lip and it’s not an altogether unconscious action as he notices Draco reciprocate the gesture and glance down at his mouth. “Us?”

“All the above Potter, what’s to be believed?” Draco took his hands out of pockets, his tailored dinner jacket baring his slim wrists for the briefest of moments, “Shall we go inside?”

Harry coughed, having been briefly distracted, “Yes. Of course.”

 

The maitre'd showed them to their tables, their waiter ordered their wine and after a good five minutes Harry realized that they’d past the comfortable settling in stage and were soon slipping into awkward silence. Something had to be done about this.

“Um, what’s not to believe?” Harry snapped, irksomely awkward.

“Pardon?” The question quite obviously bringing Malfoy back from some sort of reverie.

“Outside, you said…”

“Oh right!” Draco shifted within his seat, “Well you tell me Potter. What should my friends think of this? They didn’t even know you were gay, they said. They argued that if you were, you wouldn’t be cavorting with the likes of me. So yes, against my better knowledge I left the apartment tonight knowing exactly what disappointments may have arisen.” He took a sip from his wine glass, “And yet, here you are and you haven’t left.”

Harry couldn’t leave if he wanted to, watching the way Malfoy swallowed down his wine did dirty things to his mind. “To tell you the truth I had the same sort of intervention.”

Draco’s brows rose with express interest. “Go on.”

“Hermione was just worried about what would happen if this all went badly, that’s all.” Harry explained dismissively.

“And Weasley? What was his poignant opinion?” Draco folded his arms across the table and leaned in closer.

“None actually, a work thing came up and he covered for me. Said have fun and to just make sure I take him to any place better than that place I took Ginny that one time.”

Draco arched his brow at the obvious displeasure of Ginny’s name being brought up, “I’m sure there’s a story there. Perhaps for another time?”

_ ‘Another time!’  _

“Ah no actually, just bad service at stupidly wizarding restaurant. I hope you don’t  mind, I didn’t want you harassed like Ginny was that day, I mean, I’m not deluded into thinking people still care so much about me or anything I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t hiding you here or whatever-”

“Potter!” Draco barked. “You’re rambling, whilst some may construe it to be endearing it, in this case it is pointless. I am not offended, in fact I expected as much from you. I dare say I know you now to know that much at least.”

Malfoy was right. “You’re right.” Harry conceded. “I’m sorry. I’m just…”

“Nervous?” Draco offered, his hand was covering Harry’s now. Harry didn’t even remember placing his hand upon the table.

“Something like that.”

“Sirs? May I take your orders now or shall I come back later?” The waiter interrupted and as Draco’s hand withdrew Harry wasn’t sure if he was pleased at the interruption or upset by it.

 

They both ordered the steak, Harry took his with the herb butter and Draco with the jus. As soon as the waiter took their menu’s from them Harry felt that alarming feeling of exposure overwhelm him once more. So he dived right in.

“I’m not precisely sure I am gay actually. Just in case your friends are worried about their information sources.” Harry pressed a fake laugh from within and immediately hated himself for it.

Draco’s face fell a little.

“I only mean to say that, that would imply I like men. I don’t like men. I just like you.” This Draco seemed to understand. “Only you really. For um, quite a while. Longer than I’d know to pinpoint from really.” 

Harry’s trouser were a deep maroon, so deep they nearly looked black. He had hated them when Hermione and Molly had picked them out but they’d gone nice together as a two piece suit and really altogether they were far more interesting to look at than whatever was flitting across Malfoy’s face after this admission. 

“Potter, you are an absolute wanker. You know that? You have the worst timing!”

“What?” Harry breathed.

“That is the kind of thing you say to someone if you want to get them to kiss you and the fact you’ve said that here and now, only moments before our dinner is served is truly just an example of how badly you’ve timed this.” Draco smiled, only minutely, it was all in his eyes, they shone with affection.

Harry couldn’t keep his eyes off Draco’s mouth and his cheeks were starting to hurt with smiling, if he didn’t change the subject soon he’d work himself up into an actual blush!

“No, of course. I’ve gone about this whole thing wrong. Talk to your date first before you try to get your tongue down their throat! Right!” Harry joked and was rewarded with Draco’s posture easing relaxedly.

“Do your worst Potter.” Draco teased.

“I thought I just had,” Harry retorted.

Draco cried out so suddenly he had to cover his mouth. “Merlin’s Ass, it’s like eighth year all over again.”

“Or as I like to refer to as, the year of the furious masturbation!”

“What?!” Draco spat. “You mean you-”

“No no.” Harry laughed, “Actually that was sixth year.” Harry winked for humour, laughing as Draco couldn’t keep a handle on himself long enough to take another sip of his drink.

 

Their meals came just as Malfoy was explaining the medical training he had received in France when he’d been away. 

“I don’t regret it now, after all I’ve achieved since,” Draco began.

“No of course not, it sounds amazing there.”

“At the time though, I felt like I was just following my Mother because I had nowhere else to go.” Draco sighed as he cut into his steak.

Harry swallowed his own mouthful before answering, “I remember feeling like I’d lost something after you left. I know we were just starting to get close but I felt like you left at the beginning of it all and were just... gone.”

“Harry,” Draco said.

“No. Look let’s change the subject. The hospital how’s that going?”

“Fine Potter, you know this. You were there just this Friday remember? Thundering through the halls, chasing down criminals, destroying my spell-trauma ward?” Draco waved his fork around dramatically for effect. “A pack of meat heads the lot of you.”

“Probably thought I was mad when I asked you here though.” Harry couldn’t keep his eyes off Draco, he just couldn’t. Even as he ate, spoke, paused for drink, Harry watched it all and soaked it all in.

“Riding an adrenaline high had been my initial diagnosis. Then came the owl asking for the when, what, where and I had to reconsider.” Draco chewed with his mouth closed, he cut precisely with his knife, the very lean of his hand as he did so, made Harry feel like a slob in comparison.

“I couldn’t help it. If I lacked the slightest bit of self control I would have kissed you then and there. Really,” Harry said honestly.

Draco grinned approvingly and it stirred the cauldron that had been churning inside Harry’s gut the whole night. Draco liked him, this was real. 

 

Draco had ordered chocolate ganache for dessert, Harry the cheesecake with strawberry compote. Harry had refused the coffee and watched on as Draco took both in tandem, a look of confused distaste etched onto his face.

“Look,” Draco suddenly announced through the quiet din of clinking cutlery. “I want you to know. That whilst you didn’t... I mean to say, that I didn’t pine for you in France, in fact I went away to France thinking I’d probably never see you again. Outside of a wizarding publication of course. I moved on. I’ve  _ dated _ .”

Harry dropped his spoon on the table, the cake was too rich and he was giving up, after that steak he didn’t think he could manage it. 

“Potter!” Draco said.

“I heard you. So you dated people, who cares? I dated Ginny. It didn’t work out who cares?” Harry shrugged his shoulders, getting tired of his suits constricting frame.

“Oh.” Draco bristled.

“I thought you weren’t coming back Draco. Ginny and I dated and it didn’t work and I was miserable. Unless what you’re really trying to say is you have a secret boyfriend or something back in France…”

Draco snorted, “No! No secret boyfriends.”

“Is it because I mentioned the gay thing. Because I have quite an active imagination and best friend with a severe addiction to literature if that’s what you’re implying.” Harry pressed his foot into Draco’s, which had found its way up against his sometime during main. 

Draco’s foot pressed back.

 

“I want to do this again.” Harry stated as soon as they’d gotten outside.

“What? Pay for dinner?” Draco joked.

“Take you out. Date you. Malfoy, I, I want to date you.” Harry shoved his hands into his pockets, fidgeting with the stub of his shoe toe. “I mean, if you want to. I know you haven’t been back for that long really.”

“Potter.”

“Malfoy?” Harry relayed nervously.

Draco leaned back into the wall besides them, smiling almost smugly, “Tell me that thing again.”

“Which thing?” Harry stepped forward to him without thinking.

“The thing about being gay for me.” He licked his bottom lips and Harry was stepping closer to him still.

“The thing that made you want to kiss me? Oh!” Harry closed the distance and pressed his body up against Draco’s, wrapping his arms around Draco’s shoulders, lengthening themselves into a searing kiss. Harry caged him in with the force and swell of it, opening his mouth and letting Draco in. Harry felt like he was floating with ache and want, and old misery, finally holding onto what he had wanted for so long. He kissed back against Draco’s own eager mouth until he was short of breath and even after then, losing focus of everything else except Draco. So warm in his arms and yet so cold from the night air, their noses brushed together both frosted with it. 

Draco had to push him back, both gasping. 

“You’re going to kill me.” Draco whispered as if an accepted fact, his gaze dizzied by lust. 

“No.” Harry ground out, still evening out his own intake of breath. He slid his hand down Draco’s open collar, splaying his hand over Draco’s chest and collarbone. Where the scars started.

“I was right, it feels like eighth all over again. Us both apologizing like mad, you making me laugh inanely and me struggling not to kiss your stupidly perfect mouth off!” Draco almost snickered, or would have if Harry would have let him, laughing down to meet Draco’s mouth again with another claiming kiss. 

“I think Hermione was right, this is big.” Harry murmured more to himself than anything, burying his face against Draco’s neck, willing himself to calm down.

He expected a dick joke from Malfoy, “I think we finally get to finish off that beginning you were talking about.” But Draco understood and he had all along.


End file.
